434 Wheelock, Nesting Habits of the Green Heron. Loct' 



During the week that followed a severe storm swept that district, 

 bringing disaster to the heron colony. Young herons hung lifeless 

 in every nest tree, usually head downward, having caught a twig 

 in their strong feet and held on even after death overtook them. 

 In one case the head and bill were hooked over the edge of the 

 nest as if the young bird had been pushed out and had clung 

 desperately to the last. In this same nest we found a young bird 

 dead apparently from starvation. The storm accounted for a 

 part of the tragedy but the fact of desertion on the part of both 

 parents of this brood was too clearly proven. Curiously enough, 

 the grackle nestlings, probably all second broods, were unharmed. 

 Contrary to Mr. Finley's experience with the Night Herons, we 

 found several young Green Herons alive and thriving under the 

 trees where they evidently must have been fed by the adults. 

 They squatted motionless at our approach, allowing us to catch 

 them easily. 



The heron family in the apple tree was probably a second brood 

 as it was hatched June 27, a late date for a first brood. There 

 were but two eggs and no evidence of there ever having been more. 

 As soon as the little ones were fairly out of the shells and before 

 the down was dry on their heads we had taken several pictures of 

 them. One of these revealed a remarkable heron trait, for the 

 brand new baby, who had never been fed, and who had scarcely 

 opened his eyes upon this queer world, yet attempted to protest 

 against our meddling by the characteristic heron method of defence. 

 In his case the action was merely a nervous 'gagging' and would 

 seem to indicate that this act is probably involuntary rather than 

 intentional on the part of all herons. 



In watching the various Green Heron broods develop we noted 

 three points radically different from the habits of Passeres. First, 

 they are fed only early in the morning and late in the afternoon, the 

 wait between mouthfuls being also much longer. From four to six 

 a. M. and five to seven p. M. are the periods of greatest activity. 

 These are the only hours when the young made any clamor for food 

 although the return of the parent at any hour was heralded by some 

 signs of excitement on the part of the nestlings before we could per- 

 ceive it even with close watching. One record, when young were 

 seven days old, shows feedings at 4.06; 4.30; 4.58; 5.02; 5.43; 



